Commentary: Even as Singapore’s population exceeds 6 million, it doesn’t have to feel crowded
A city that is densely populated does not need to feel crowded, says Woo Jun Jie of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
by Woo Jun Jie · CNA · JoinSINGAPORE: According to the annual Population in Brief released on Tuesday (Sep 24), Singapore’s total population has grown to 6.04 million people. This was largely driven by the non-resident population, which grew by 5 per cent from June 2023 to June 2024. At the same time, immigration numbers remained stable, albeit slightly elevated.
Given Singapore’s continued strength as a global business hub as well as its high level of urban livability, it is no surprise that skilled workers are attracted to it in search of job opportunities and a safe living environment.
Given its land constraints, how can Singapore accommodate its growing population? Can the authorities plan the city to comfortably house not just its resident population but those who come seeking opportunities in its growing economy?
City planners and urban thinkers have long been seeking solutions to accommodate growing populations within limited spatial constraints. Like Singapore, cities such as New York and London have seen their populations grow due to their strong economies and vibrant cityscapes.
DENSE BUT NOT CROWDED
In most cities, the key solution has been to increase urban density, which essentially means finding ways to accommodate more people within the same amount of physical space. It should however be noted that higher density does not necessarily equal more crowded cities.
A good case in point would be Pinnacle@Duxton, which houses almost 8,000 residents on a mere 2.5 hectares of land. With a density of 320,000 residents per square kilometre, this is more than three times the density of most housing estate precincts.
To put this in context, Toa Payoh houses 105,000 residents over more than 800 hectares of land, which translates to about 13,125 residents per square kilometre.
Yet despite being a far more densely populated estate, demand for resale flats in Pinnacle@Duxton remains high. A five-room flat in the estate was sold for more than S$1.5 million in May this year.
Why is this the case? And why are people paradoxically gravitating towards high-rise and high-density developments rather than lower-density neighbourhoods?
Aside from location and proximity to the city centre, unique design features such as sky gardens and community spaces ensure livability amid density by creating pockets of green and recreational spaces.
Similar efforts have been made in designing other recent public housing developments such as Bidadari as well as upcoming ones such as Bayshore. Such pockets of green and community spaces help reduce perceptions of crowdedness by providing visual relief, thermal comfort and ample recreational spaces.
Hence even as Singapore continues to develop high-rise and high-density housing to accommodate its growing population, it can continue to reduce feelings of crowdedness by designing estates that incorporate green spaces both on the ground and in the air.
Aside from high-density housing developments, there are other ways in which Singapore can reduce feelings of crowdedness.
For instance, mixed-use developments that co-locate housing apartments with shops and supermarkets, transport facilities and even public services provide residents with greater access to a wide array of shops and amenities.
This reduces the need for residents to go into the city or even regional centres, reducing crowds in those places.
A good example of a mixed-use integrated development would be Kampung Admiralty, which incorporates public housing, commercial spaces, community parks as well as healthcare amenities within 0.9 hectare of space.
RECLAIMING MORE SPACE
More importantly, mixed-use developments allow city planners to utilise land space more efficiently by co-locating different needs within the same plot of land, rather than having them occupy standalone buildings.
This in turn will help city planners free up and “reclaim” land that can be used for other purposes, whether this be industry, housing or recreation.
In fact, reclamation is a concept that should be front and centre in a city’s approach in accommodating a growing population.
While we traditionally think of reclamation as the act of reclaiming land from the sea, this concept can be broadened to include reclaiming pockets of existing unused spaces for other uses.
For instance, the architects of Pinnacle@Duxton describe how they “reclaim land in the air” by building sky gardens on the 26th and 50th stories. Similarly, underground spaces hold much potential to be reclaimed for land-use needs. Bidadari estate’s underground service reservoir is a case in point.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s recent Recreation Master Plan highlight efforts to reclaim unused spaces such as void decks and spaces under viaducts for recreational use.
Green spaces and recreational facilities that are interspersed within neighbourhoods and housing estates can help break up the visual monotony that is usually associated with high-rise living. These spaces can also provide residents with new and surprising spaces to play and rest, reducing the feeling of crowdedness that tend to affect many densely populated cities around the world.
Even as Singapore continues to grow, it can maintain its urban livability and comfort through innovative urban planning and spatial reclamation. A city that is densely populated does not need to feel crowded.
Dr Woo Jun Jie is Senior Lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
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